In films you always see the Wall Street lay-offs where people are called into a room then leave the building with a box of belongings escorted by security.
Does this only apply to specific highly sensitive finance and tech jobs? Do many jobs end like this or is there another more common experience? Does anyone work a notice period or go on gardening leave or have a goodbye party with colleagues?
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Well having just been through it with a large corporation (you’ve heard of it):
* On my day off, I got a call from my boss, saying to be available for a call at 10am.
* At 10am I got a call from my boss’s boss reading from a script telling me I was being laid off. It was a fast call. I did not expect it, although there were rumors and rumblings a layoff “wave” was about to occur for a few weeks.
* Then, there were a series of “so you’ve been shitcanned” calls the company hosted about severance, the process, benefits, etc.
They did not immediately cut off my access to systems, and I was on payroll for two more weeks, at which time I transitioned the things I was working on to other workers. None of this “collect your stuff, security escorts you out” – although that would be an absurdity since I was remote. My understanding is this did not happen to people in the office either.
I had been at this company for 25 years. However, if I struggle through my irritation at the suddenness of it, I will say they probably did things with a fair amount of respect. The “so you’ve been shitcanned” calls started out with “We know you’re all probably feeling X, Y, and Z” but didn’t try to “connect with us and empathize with us” which I appreciated. It went straight into business. What to do with your pension if you had one, 401K, health insurance.
So, I am unemployed.
I am having problems finding motivation to find a new job. I am sick of looking at screens all day, every day. Truth be told I loved the people I worked with – I had a great boss and a great team (no politics, really enjoyed them as people, etc.) but I *hated* the work I was doing. It was unbelievably dry.
So it was a strange mixture of emotions: shock, anxiety, and relief, all wrapped up in an egg roll of joblessness.
Honestly the kind of “we respect you enough to not assume you’re going to do something psycho in our computer systems and will keep your access turned on for a few more weeks” blunted some of the nastiness of the situation.
It was a divorce of a loveless marriage, but it was civil.